Martha didn't expect raising Lex to be easy, and it wasn't. The years surfaced traumas and scars she couldn't have imagined even when she first saw that battered boy at the police station. But the boy he strove to be, and the man he grew into, lit up her heart with pride and joy every day.

Lex went through phases of rebellion in his teen years, but he remained fiercely protective of Clark even on the days when he showed the least respect to Martha and Jonathan. He struggled his way through middle and high school, facing conflicts with teachers and bullies, but ultimately graduating top of his class and earning a scholarship to Metropolis University.

Clark was in sixth grade when Lex went off to college. Clark's rebellious phases began when his brother was gone, but Lex called to both scold and encourage him when things got bad, and over time, Clark matured as well.

Lex inherited nothing from Lionel—LuthorCorp had long been dissolved—but he started his own nonprofit, and worked to change their community for the better. The best part was that he based his company out of Smallville and made family dinners on Sundays a priority.

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And one Sunday, he brought a pretty girl to family dinner. Eighteen months later, Clark's best man speech made Martha cry.

And today? Today was a day she'd been waiting for. For years, she hadn't even known she should be looking forward to this moment, but now she'd been counting the days. Approximately nine months' worth.

Lex wore deep bags under his eyes. Martha didn't blame him—she knew it had probably been awhile since he had slept. But when he placed the little pink bundle in her arms, and those bright blue-green eyes fluttered open and stared up at her, she knew why he also looked happier than he ever had.

"I'll have to call you something else now," he said. "Seeing as she's named Martha."

"You've always been allowed to call me Mom." Martha had never pressured him about that. After all these years, being called by her first name felt natural.

"I know," he said. "But for her sake, I think I'm going to be using the name Grandma a lot more often."

She shot him a look.

"Fine. Mom it is. And I'll call Jonathan Dad. It's only fair."

Martha nodded, absentminded. She knew what he was saying was important, maybe the most important thing he had said in a long time. But right now, she was having a hard time focusing on anything but her granddaughter's tiny, soft fingers, which had wrapped around her thumb.

"Go get some rest," she told her son. "I'll take care of her."

"Yes, Mom." Lex leaned down and kissed each Martha on the forehead, then he headed for the stairs.